Make My Wish Come True
by hayleynymphadora
Summary: Regina's been having some strange romantic thoughts about Emma. Thoughts that frighten her-does she really like Emma, or is it just the holiday season of love talking? SwanQueen, and my first ONCE fanfiction. I hope you love it as much as I do! Merry Christmas!
1. All I Want for Christmas is You

**Hey! So i've been in a VERY Once Upon A Time-ish mood recently. (It might have to do with the recent finale. I'm going through panic attacks.) and don't worry, this doesn't have any finale spoilers, in case you haven't already seen it. (If you haven't, GO FREAKING WATCH IT).**

**This is my first ONCE fanfic, AND my first SwanQueen fanfic, so write me some reviews, but don't be too harsh, please? Constructive criticism. Tell me what you think! :) **

**I'm in love with the idea of SwanQueen. I ship it so hard it physically hurts.**

**I don't own Once Upon A Time, or any of the songs mentioned or quoted in this story. Enjoy! ~~hayleynymphadora**

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**Make My Wish Come True: A SwanQueen Christmas Fic**

Regina Mills sat in her living room, feeling a little defeated, in spite of the "holiday season". If it weren't for her wonderfully optimistic son upstairs and her reputation as Mayor, she wouldn't even get involved in the festivities around Storybrooke. Christmas just usually wasn't her thing. Celebrating usually wasn't her thing. What did she ever have to celebrate besides Henry? She already spoiled him during this time of year, so what else did she really have to be cheery about? Her disposition wasn't about "cheery".

She stared into her roaring fireplace; her hands caressing a warm mug of tea. Her thoughts wandered as she stared into the flames—they danced with flicks of red and orange, occasionally some blue and purple, admittedly of her own creation. The mug in her hands made her smirk as she thought of Emma Swan: Sheriff in town and biological mother of Henry. Henry was just like Emma in some ways; one of them being the fact that they drink hot cocoa with cinnamon. Her body shivered unexpectedly and she wrapped the nearby blanket around her arms, cocooning herself inside of it.

_Why would you think of Emma before you think of Henry? All she ever does is make your life miserable! With those gorgeous blue eyes of hers, and that long blonde hair…not to mention that annoyingly cute red jacket she wears all the time…_

Regina's eyes widened as she zoned back into reality. Where the hell had that come from, and how did her thoughts stray so easily towards Emma? She decided she needed to focus on something else, but as Mayor she was always busy and work didn't seem like a fun topic to dwindle on for the billionth time today.

Her eyes flicked over to the Christmas tree that Henry had begged her to put up. Admittedly, it had been fun spending the day with him, assembling a fake tree without magic—taking up so much time and effort-but it looked really pretty. It was white, and covered in multicolored bulbs and lights. A bright gold star shone magnificently at the top; shedding it's light in all areas of the room. It was irritatingly bright in a pretty sort of way.

Snow, Emma, and David had come over that day to help them decorate. They obviously knew more about the season of giving than Regina did, so she agreed to let them teach her a bit. Even Ruby and Granny had joined in, later on. They had all eaten dinner together (it made Granny especially happy that everyone was serving _her_ for once,) and it was really nice. The adults drank wine, and Henry had sparkling cider, though he'd begged Emma and Regina both to no end for "Just a sip, Mom, please?! What harm will it do?"

Regina knew all too well what harm even a little wine could do. Apple wine being her own personal guilty pleasure, she was familiar with one little sip becoming half of a bottle. A drunken Regina probably made for a more fun Regina, though, as Emma had stated that very same night. It was in Emma's opinion that if Regina let go of herself a little bit and eased up on the whole "taking over Storybrooke" concept, she wouldn't be such a "pain in the ass". Regina had swept this comment away with a grin, (surprisingly one that she actually meant).

It sort of bothered Regina how friendly her and Emma had been, recently. Henry and Snow had tried to convince the two of them that the holidays were to blame.

"Everyone gets friendlier with each other nearing December," Snow had shaken her head and grinned as she wrapped her arms around David's waist. "Don't kill yourself over it."

_ Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind getting a little friendlier with Emma…_

What had gotten into Regina tonight? She decided to just go to bed. Maybe she could sleep the thoughts away.

_Yes. That's what I need. Rest._

Out of habit, she folded the blanket and set it neatly down back onto the couch, smoothing out the wrinkles. She took the cup out to the kitchen and rinsed it out, before clapping off all of the lights and making her way up the stairs. She made it to Henry's room, pushing the half-open door all the way open and making her way towards him with a smile. Her little boy was so precious when he slept. He was the one thing that made her life livable anymore.

_Except maybe seeing Emma's beautiful face every day…_

_What the hell?! It's Henry. Seeing Henry makes me think of Emma._

Quickly, she kissed her son on the forehead and got out of his bedroom, shutting the door tightly behind her. She needed to sleep—there was a town Christmas party in one day that Henry begged her to go to, and Emma invited her to. She was planning on spending tomorrow baking her famous apple pies with Henry.

Emma invited her to the party.

_Second thoughts, maybe I shouldn't go. I'll just let Henry spend some time with his mother…he can live without me for one day…I won't be so tempted to think about Emma if I just stay away from her._

With that as a final thought, she climbed into bed, dragging the covers closer to her. She was shivering. Usually she would just use magic to warm herself up, but she was just too tired to care. Her eyes fluttered shut as she thought angry thoughts. Why the hell did she keep thinking about Emma Swan, annoying as she is, of all people? What did Emma have to do with anything?

Emma had everything to do with everything. Regina just didn't want to admit it to herself.

. . . .

**"Look," Emma's gorgeous eyes glistened in delight as she and Regina stood under a doorway. Emma was all decked out in a…no, it wasn't even cute. It was freaking HOT…A hot black v-neck dress, barely reaching her knees. She was pointing up towards the ceiling. Regina forced her eyes up, away from Emma's perfect body.**

** Regina smirked to herself, suppressing a laugh, her eyebrows raised. "Mistletoe…?" her voice was a slightly questioning tone. Did she dare continue to stand there, right in front of Emma, under mistletoe? Other people were probably looking…staring awkwardly towards the Mayor and the Sheriff of Storybrooke. Hell, what if Henry was watching?**

** But Emma didn't back up either. In fact, she continued forward, placing her hands lightly on Regina's waist. Regina's whole body tingled with electricity she had never felt before. It frightened her and excited her all at once. She let Emma keep her hands there, and she put her own hands around Emma's neck, warmly.**

** Their lips were inches away from each other, Regina's heart racing faster than it ever had before. This feeling was amazing. It was better than being in control of everything. Better than ruling the kingdom, and better than her passion for killing Snow White.**

** And even better—she didn't care who was watching.**

** Their mouths collided passionately as they drew closer to each other. Regina's hold on Emma was tight, which Emma didn't seem to mind. They broke apart for a breath and went in for another kiss-**

"Holy hell!" Regina woke with a start, out of breath. "What is _wrong _with me? I'm not hot for _her. _ I can't be…"

But her mind was reeling. That was the best dream she had had in a _very_ long time. Was it possible for her to…to be attracted to Emma?

Sure, she decided. It was possible, but she dared not get her hopes up. She was used to going after things she never got, and she was used to wanting things she could never have. And Emma didn't want her. Emma could never want her.

. . . .

"Get UP! Mom! Wake UP already!" Regina woke to Henry, smacking her body with a pillow. She had to laugh as she rose, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She hadn't had another dream about Emma after the first one, she realized. Maybe it was just a sign that it wasn't meant to be.

"What is it, Henry?" she asked calmly, with a loving voice.

"Emma's here," he said, getting off of her bed. "She's in the kitchen…"

Regina could see that he was already dressed. Then it hit her. Emma. He said Emma was there.

She had to magically stop the blush from reaching her cheeks. After the thoughts she had been having about Henry's biological mother, it was hard not to feel the butterflies in her stomach when Henry said her name. It was really a beautiful name, Emma. She stopped herself. Since when does she _ever_ get butterflies in her stomach for anybody? For anything? This was getting ridiculous. She threw the sheets off of her body, getting instantly cold and wanting for a moment to crawl back under her covers, close her eyes, and dream of the woman standing in her kitchen downstairs.

"Screw this," she said instead, annoyed with herself. She was just lonely, and these stupid Emma fantasies were filling a void. Apparently she was that desperate. She couldn't believe she was stooping so low.

Henry followed her after she threw on a robe, tying it around her waist before she headed downstairs, only to find Emma standing in the kitchen, fully dressed and looking perfect. Regina's eyebrow rose as she glanced over at her clock. Did she sleep in or something?

No, it was seven in the morning. Who gets up at seven on a weekend? Who looks THAT perfect so early in the morning? It pissed her off that Emma was so perfect. So perfectly optimistic, being the "Savior", and so perfect in personality. Everyone loved her more. Even Henry just woke Regina up to ask if he could go with Emma for the day. What did that tell Regina? That Emma was obviously better than her. Emma was a first choice. All romantic thoughts of Emma had drifted away.

"Good morning, Regina," Emma gave her a faint smile. "Snow wanted me to come and pick up Henry. She said she already talked to you about it…?"

Damn. She was right, they had discussed it. Regina was too disoriented and confused to remember.

"Oh. Right, of course. Go ahead and take him, I know it's your turn. Have fun, you two." She kept her expression unreadable, her feelings dropping to the bottom of her chest—a lump forming in her throat. Henry never loved her more. "Be good for your mother," she added something she had never called Emma before, watching Henry pull his backpack over his shoulders; his storybook cradled in his arms like a baby.

Regina used to cradle Henry in her arms like a baby. It was when he was a baby, and he was _her_ baby. Not Emma's. When the hell had _she_ ever held him? Her anger for the woman grew stronger and she instantly regretted calling Emma Henry's "mother", even if technically, she was.

Emma hesitated to leave, her blue eyes sparkling with pity. "Hey, do you want to come with us? We were going to make desserts and things for the party on Sunday. We could use another pair of hands,"

God, did she really want to do this? She didn't really want to spend an entire day with people she usually couldn't stand just to bake cookies and fudge and pretend that life was jolly. It just wasn't going to happy. No freaking way. She had better things to do with her time, like bake apple pies alone…

"Yeah, come on, Mom." Henry grinned wildly. "It'll be fun, to have the whole family together."

Regina tried not to grimace at the word "family". She wasn't really a part of that, anyways. Being Snow White's step mother didn't make her qualify as part of the family unit, did it? Maybe not, but did being Henry's adoptive mother? Probably.

"Come on, Madame Mayor," Emma's lip curled into something that Regina dared to call a smile. "Don't make me beg."

Was that a glimmer of flirtation she caught in the Sheriff's eyes?

_No. You're being stupid and are blinded by dreams. Just do it for Henry. I'll do it for Henry._

"Fine. Yeah, okay, I'll go and make desserts with you." Regina sighed, running a hand through her medium length black hair.

"Try not to sound so excited," Henry said.

Regina couldn't help the smile spreading to her lips. "I'll go get dressed," she announced, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. Since when does she ever feel embarrassed around anyone? She's the freaking Queen!

. . . .

"You know, Regina, the flour isn't going to kill you," Snow laughed at Regina's posture. She was in a crisp-clean apron that hadn't been touched by a single speck of sugar, meanwhile everyone else's aprons were already totaled, and they had only just begun. She glowered at Snow. Like she didn't know how to bake? Her apple crisp was legendary.

"I'm aware," Regina answered coolly.

"Get that stick out of your ass, Madame Mayor," Emma joked. "Who put poison in your pancakes this morning?"

Regina wanted with all of her heart to hate her for that. But she just couldn't. Not when she knew that Emma was right, and when Emma was dressed like that. She was in a dark blue shirt that was a little too small—it rode up every time she moved, exposing her midriff. Regina refused to get caught staring, but she snuck looks every once in a while.

"You were the only person in my house this morning, Emma, so what does that tell you?" Regina shot back.

Because Emma started the jokes, and she wanted to prove she could be fun, Regina dug her hands down into the bag of flour when Emma was turned around, and let it all go onto Emma's back. Emma spun around with a gasp, almost angry at first, but a smile spread over her face before she could stop it.

"You wanna play that game, Regina? I can play that game all day." She laughed.

Regina thought that could be fun.

Emma reached into the bag with her own hands and dumped the flour all over Regina's head. Regina's mouth dropped in a protest and pretty soon flour coated the floor of the kitchen. Snow and David and Henry got in on it to, and after about twenty seconds each person was head to toe in the white powder, laughing and coughing and sputtering. Regina was on the ground, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. She hadn't had this much fun in years. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember a time she had _ever_ had this much fun. Emma was on the ground next to her, pulling her hair back away from her face and rubbing the flour out of her eyes with a choking giggle.

"So you do know how to have fun. What brought that out of you?" she asked the Queen.

Regina kept her smile. "Family, I guess," was her response.

And it was, she realized. It was the feeling of unity. The feeling of acceptance, and love, and fun. Maybe she could be a part of the whole family unit. Maybe she could be happy with this. And maybe liking Emma wasn't such a crime, after all. What if Emma even liked her too?

No, it was impossible.

Emma reached her hand out for Regina to take, which she did, that electricity from the dream coursing through her veins. Emma's eyebrows rose, as if she felt the electricity, too. "Well, welcome to the family, Regina."

For once, Regina really did feel welcome.

. . .

The party was being held at the Town Hall, and even though Regina had three hours before she had to be there, she was rushing around to get ready. As she cantered down the hall, she passed Henry's bedroom. She raised an eyebrow, curiously, noticing him sitting at his desk, reading his story book. Bless his pure heart.

"You're not getting ready?" she wondered.

"Mom, we still have a lot of time," Henry protested.

"Not really," she practically sing-songed, worriedly.

"Well I don't take thirty minutes to get my makeup perfect," Henry reminded her with a laugh. Regina had to laugh along, too. She had been doing that a lot recently, which worried her, slightly. She blamed Emma for it—the woman was too damn optimistic. It put her in a disgustingly happy mood. Maybe she needed help.

No, she wasn't about to stoop so low as to seek help. Besides—after all she had done to the town of Storybrooke, who would help her?

She had been trying to change, truly, for Henry, if not for anyone else. At least Emma believed in her. At least once person at the party, besides of course her son, wouldn't ignore her.

Or maybe Emma _would _ignore Regina.

She had reason enough to—Regina had threatened her family and tried to kill her mother enough times.

Regina's fairly excited mood dropped considerably the more she thought about things and she decided, as she went to her bedroom to find something to wear, that she should stop giving herself time to contemplate things. All it ever does is put her in a bad state of mind…and make her think about Emma…a dangerous thing to do.

"What the hell am I supposed to wear to this thing?" she grumbled as she searched in her closet; dress after dress after outfit after outfit was cast aside about the room—many of them now covering her bed—most of them black.

"You should try something a little more colorful," Henry advised from the doorway, startling Regina and making her jump, her hand flying to her heart.

"Henry! Try not to terrify me, will you?"

"Sorry, Mom," and he left her alone, shutting the door behind him.

Mom. Regina wondered if she was the only one he called "Mom", or if he'd started calling Emma that, too. She tried to ignore the pang of guilt stabbing at her chest and thought back to what Henry said about color. Did she own anything "colorful" enough for him? She thought she might have a red dress in the back somewhere…that was Christmassy enough, right?

Finding it, she pulled it out and slipped it on over her black lace bra and panties. She gave herself a stare down in the mirror. It actually looked great on her—it outlined her curves in all the right places. She nodded and gave a small grin. It was going to have to do. It was the best item of clothing she owned, apparently.

She did her make up and finished getting ready and by the time she was, her three hours were up. Annoyingly enough, Henry was right, she thought bitterly. It _did_ take her thirty minutes to get her make up just right.

By the time she and Henry made it to the Town Hall, it was swarming with people. She was thankful that, as Mayor, she could be fashionably late without being judged about it. People were too busy judging her for other things.

Henry rushed to find Emma immediately and Regina stood back and greeted others, anxious at the thought of seeing Emma for the first time since the flour fight the day before. She was actually hoping to avoid Emma, at all costs. Otherwise she would just have those romantic thoughts about her….and those could only lead to trouble, right? Besides, she was supposed to be bitter towards Emma. She was _always_ bitter towards Emma for something. She forced herself to think of reasons to hate the little "Savior".

_1. She's the daughter of Snow White. The one who got my true love killed._

_2. She was brought to Storybrooke to destroy everything I worked for._

_3. My son loves her more than he loves me, because she's his mother, too._

_4. She somehow managed to charm everyone in the damn town. Everyone takes her side and she's so optimistic and likable and hot and beautiful and wonderful and-_

_Dammit, Regina, pull yourself together._

But before she could, there stood the blue eyed, blonde beauty herself, right in front of Madame Mayor's face. She was dressed in tight black pants, her usual black biker boots, and a black sweater that lay overtop a red tank top. She looked amazing.

Emma grinned as she knocked back a shot, laughing while watching Killian Jones, aka Captain Hook aka the town drunkard knock back two at a time. Killian was always flirting with Emma and hitting on her, even though she was clearly only interested in friendship. This ticked Regina off. If someone wants you to back off…you should just back off.

Music played in the background and Emma greeted Regina with a hug.

A hug.

Regina's heart exploded inside her chest. She was so happy that Henry convinced her to put it back a few months before; otherwise she wouldn't be getting this amazing giddy feeling. Second thoughts, it might have been a blessing and a curse. She had to magic away a forming blush.

She tried to focus on the music playing.

It didn't help.

_I don't want a lot for Christmas,_

_ There is just one thing I need,_

_ I don't care about the presents,_

_ Underneath the Christmas tree._

_ I just want you for my own,_

_ More than you could ever know,_

_ Make my wish come true,_

_ Baby all I want for Christmas is you…_

Regina sucked in a sharp breath as she realized the song was true. All she wanted was Emma. It was all she had wanted in her life for a while, now, but she was terrified to admit it. What did liking Emma Swan really mean?

Well, it didn't mean anything if Emma didn't like her back, obviously.

Regina's insides curled and she knew she needed to escape. She walked off towards the hallway of the building, going into the bathroom. Thankfully for her, no one else was in there. She felt so constricted—like she couldn't breathe. Tears started to swell up in her eyes and she scolded herself.

_You're better than this, Regina. You know better than to get all choked up about something, especially in public. And for something like a crush…this is ridiculous. Inhale. Exhale. You will be fine, living you life like always, without Emma. Relax, now._

But the more she tried to control herself the more it hurt and the more tears started to streak down her face. She leaned up against a counter, feeling horribly defeated and broken. How could feelings for one person be this strong?

Ironically enough, and to Regina's absolute horror, Emma Swan herself came into the bathroom, stunned to see Regina leaning up against the counter top, tears streaked down her gorgeous face.

It felt to Emma as if she was being stabbed in the heart. Why was this amazing woman in tears? Did she not know her worth? Her beauty?

"Regina?" she asked tentatively. "Are you alright?"

Regina, feeling mortified, buried her face into her hands. "You'll think it's stupid and immature and childish. You'll mock me for the rest of our lives."

"Oh, yeah?" Emma challenged, taking a seat on the counter next to her. "Try me."

Regina couldn't get the words to form in her mouth. She could barely even take the breath from her lungs enough to say what she wanted to say to Emma. How could she describe in words, these feelings? These thoughts? What could she possibly say to make her understand what she was going through?

_She's not even gay. I didn't think I was…until Emma._

"I…" Regina started but couldn't force the rest of the sentence out.

"You…?" Emma said after a while.

Regina tried to take a deeper breath, and ended up _still_ stumbling on her words. "I…I've been having these thoughts…feelings…strong, deep feelings towards someone who I don't have a chance with. Someone who could never love me, because I'm me, and because of all the horrible things I've done and because of the torture I've put them through. I…haven't felt this strongly for anybody since Daniel. And now…"

"Now you're afraid?"

"I am not afraid," Regina automatically got defensive.

"It's okay to be scared and in love, Regina." Emma said softly but matter-of-factly. "And if you're not afraid, why don't you tell that person how you feel? Maybe they'll surprise you."

Regina's face blushed a furious red—one she couldn't even attempt to magic away, nor did she have the energy to.

"….I just did," she admitted, staring down at the floor.

Emma's heart skipped a few beats. Regina was in love….with her? With her, Emma Swan?! This wasn't true—couldn't be—was too good to be. The woman Emma had been fantasizing about for the past five months had been fantasizing about her, too? Emma had refused to say anything about it before, or even drop hints. How could she? She didn't think Regina was even gay.

But apparently she was in love with Emma, too, and Emma could not just sit here and let this gorgeous woman cry about her like this. So, she reached over towards Regina, lightly took her chin in her hand, caressed the other side of her face with her other hand, and pulled her into a deep, entrancing kiss. Regina couldn't hold back the swoon that came from the back of her throat, and she kissed Emma back, gratefully, and lost in the moment. She tasted so sweet…like peppermint and cinnamon. Like hot cocoa with cinnamon. Like Emma.

The kiss grew stronger—more passionate—deeper. Emma pulled herself in front of Regina and hoisted Regina up onto the counter. In turn, Regina wrapped her legs tightly around Emma's waist, drawing her nearer. Before either one of them realized what was going on, Emma's sweater was off and Regina's hands were on Emma's waist, under her shirt. This time it was Emma's turn to swoon.

They broke apart for a breath and Emma placed soft, sweet kisses on Regina's neck. Regina tilted her head back and closed her eyes, savoring every second.

After moments and moments of bliss, they broke away, Regina's hands still at Emma's waist, Emma's arms wrapped around Regina's neck.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Emma admitted.

Regina's eyebrows rose in surprise. "R-really? You wanted to do that…as much as I did?"

_If there's a god above,_ Regina thought to herself. _He won't let her play me. He'll let this be sincere. He'll let us be together._

"Really," Emma whispered, kissing Regina's ear. The biggest grin spread across Regina's lips and she placed a soft kiss on Emma's forehead.

"As much as I hate to say this, and I _really_ do," Regina moaned the word "really". "We need to get back to the party before people start to miss us."

Emma sighed deeply. "I know. But we can continue this tonight…my place?"

"What about Henry?" Regina wondered. "Either you always have him or I do."

Emma pressed her lips together, disappointed. Then her winter blue eyes lit up like Regina's Christmas tree—but less annoyingly pretty and more absolutely beautiful. "How about your place, then? We can tell Henry that we felt us three should bond for the night. I'll come home with you, then when he's in bed…"

Regina's heart melted. "That sounds wonderful."

Emma gave her one more, lasting kiss on the lips, which Regina cherished before she put her sweater back on and fixed her hair in the mirror. Regina resulted to fix her hair as well, grateful for wearing water proof makeup—none of it smeared from her tears. They made their way back out to the party, the people, the music, the noise.

Regina was too jubilant to care about the distraction around her. All she could think about was Emma. She actually wanted her, too! She couldn't believe how amazing life and it's miracles truly were. And the best part was Emma's sincerity. Not a hint of irony, or acting, or pity kisses. She seemed to truly like Regina as much as Regina liked her.

She grinned from ear to ear as "Jingle Bell Rock" played on the radio. She couldn't help laughing watching Emma and Henry dance to the song together, swaying back and forth and giggling and having a great time. Emma caught Regina's eye and winked.

Regina had never felt so alive.

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**So this was supposed to be a one shot, but what do you guys think? should I keep adding on random fluffy christmas chapters? Let me know! :) Happy Beginning of Christmas Break! woo!~~hayleynymphadora**


	2. Baby it's Cold Outside

**So I feel like the vote was to continue with some fluff and a story? Yes? Well whether you wanted it or not, here it is. xD**

**It's a shorter chapter, but I will continue with a story line. Since it's a Christmas story, maybe it'll end at New Years. But i'm sure i'll write more SwanQueen in the future. I'm in love with this couple and...yeah.**

**I don't own ONCE, or any of the Christmas songs mentioned or referred to or anything...**

**Review for me!**

**~~hayleynymphadora**

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Ch.2: Baby it's Cold Outside

"Don't fall asleep," Emma whispered, squeezing Regina's arm with her hand. Regina giggled, snuggling closer to Emma, her back facing her, under the warm black comforter on her bed.

"I won't," Regina whispered back. "I promise—"

"Because if you do," Emma's lips were against Regina's ear, teasingly, sending shivers down the Queen's spine. Good shivers. "I'll have to leave."

"No!" Regina whined. "Don't leave me,"

"I have to, eventually," Emma sounded upset just saying the words. "Henry can't see me here in the morning. We've already talked about this."

"I know," Regina felt like crying knowing that she would be all alone again all too soon. She thought about it, placing her hand over Emma's, which was wrapped around Regina's waist. She didn't want to be alone again, she decided. She didn't want Emma to let her go, ever. "Or, maybe you can stay here tonight," Regina's voice was suggestive. "You can just lay here with me tonight, and we'll deal with Henry in the morning, together."

Emma thought it through for a moment, trying to let Regina's voice sway her decision. "As tempting as that offer is," Emma placed a soft kiss on Regina's neck, making Regina moan quietly. "It's also terrifying. Neither one of us is ready to come out to anyone, yet. So I really can't stay…"

"But baby, it's cold outside," Regina tried, taking the chance to sound as adorable and spirited as she knew Emma was.

Emma laughed and Regina felt the laugh, tickling her body. She loved it. She loved this closeness—this intimacy. And she _loved_ that Emma was in bed with her. Slowly, Regina spun around to face her new partner, so she could see her face. Her perfectly lined face and those adorably sexy blue eyes.

Those eyes of hers fluttered shut for a moment—not that Regina could really blame her, for it was well past three in the morning. Regina took that opportunity to place sweet kisses on Emma's eyelids. Regina had never been sweet to anyone before, besides of course Henry, and Daniel (before Daniel's death; something she had never forgiven Emma's mother for). But maybe she could forgive Snow, now. After everything that's happened, she'd been hurt back enough, right? Besides, she would do anything to be sweet to Emma, and if that's what it took…

Emma smiled and pulled Regina closer, until there was no possible room for any space between the two of them; their legs intertwined.

"Don't sleep," Regina commanded, sounding more like begging, with a giggle.

"I can't stay awake," Emma complained. "Don't be a hypocrite; we both have work tomorrow, too."

"I'll bet you," Regina whispered seductively, "That I can think of ways to keep you up all night."

"Mmm…" Emma breathed. "I'm sure you could, Madame Mayor."

"That's it, there's no way you're driving home tonight. Snow isn't waiting up for you, is she?"

"Not exactly…I told her I was put on night duty."

Regina had to scoff. "And she believed you?"

"It's kept me out all night before," Emma defended.

"Just stay here, and wake up before Henry does," Regina's eyes closed, as she started to run out of energy to talk.

"Deal," Emma whispered back, finally letting sleep take over. Regina followed soon after, content in Emma's arms. She could barely contain her excitement.

Emma really wanted to stay. Emma really wanted to love her, as much as she wanted to love Emma. She had found someone.

. . .

The alarm clock blared, scaring the life out of Emma. She jumped, causing Regina to flinch with a start as well. In all honesty, Regina had forgotten that Emma was there. She had herself convinced it was another dream. She grinned to herself, ever so thankful that it wasn't just a dream, and smacked off the alarm. Emma snuggled closer to her, wishing to be warm again and making things even more real and Regina resisted the urge to sigh, happily.

"Good morning, you," Regina said, her voice a little rough from lack of sleep.

"It would be perfect if it wasn't so early," Emma groaned, pressing her face to Regina's back Regina stifled a laugh. "You have to get up, Emma, Henry will see you if you don't."

"Is this you kicking me out?" Emma teased.

"This is me taking precautions," Regina was serious.

"Ugh…" Emma started kissing at Regina's shoulder blades and Regina let a thin smile spread across her lips.

"Don't you try to distract me," she said. "You don't want Henry to know about this anymore than I do,"

Emma sat up in the bed, her hair looking flawless. Regina noticed, bitterly. They had both slept in their clothes (Emma's sweater was off, revealing that hot red tank top, and the sleeve of Regina's dress was halfway off her shoulder). They hadn't _slept _together or anything. They agreed not to take things too fast. They both wanted this relationship to work.

Without warning, Emma took Regina by the shoulders and flipped her around so they were facing one another, before placing kisses all over her: on her collarbone, up her neck, and finally reaching her lips. The Queen kissed her Emma back, caught off guard but pleasantly surprised. She kissed below Emma's ear, then at her temples, then back to her lips again, blissfully. A sound made them break apart and dive away from each other.

"Mom, do I _have_ to go to school today?" Henry complained from the hallway, his footsteps getting closer.

Emma's sweater was already half on and she tossed on shoes, carelessly, wrapping her coat around her body and heading for the window.

"What the hell? We're two stories up, Emma," Regina whispered forcefully.

"I'm a cop, give me some more credit." The blonde winked.

"Be careful!"

Emma had already made her way out of sight and Regina rushed to shut the window just as Henry was knocking at the door.

"Come in, dear," Regina gave permission, hoping to god that Emma hadn't slipped on ice and hurt herself. Why didn't they just wake up earlier? It's not like they wouldn't see each other at work, somehow.

_But you can't kiss her at work…._ A voice in Regina's head reminded her.

Henry entered the room, confusion crossing his expression. "Why are you still in your dress from last night?" he wondered.

"I was so tired that I forgot to change. I didn't even turn the light off until the middle of the night," it wasn't completely untrue. Hopefully it didn't sound too rehearsed.

"Okay….do I _have_ to go to school today?"

"Yes, of course you do. I have work and you have school and the weekend is over." She went straight back to mother-mode.

"But there's so much snow on the ground! And ice!"

"Not enough for a snow day," Regina turned to start making the bed.

"Every day is a Snow day," Henry grumbled under his breath, referring to his grandmother, aka his teacher. Regina had to admit, it was a cute attempt. "Isn't Emma coming for breakfast today? She said we could drink hot cocoa with cinnamon. And I thought you were making pancakes?"

"Could you give me a minute to breath, Henry, I just woke up."

He ran out the bedroom, calling behind him, "Let's just hope we're not late!"

"Snow will understand if you are!" Regina called back, shutting her door so she could dress. She ran a hand through her messy hair—way messier than Emma's, which wasn't understandable because Emma's hair was much longer than hers. She had forgotten that Emma made plans to have breakfast with Henry this morning—so she could bond a little more with her son. Their son.

Regina realized that she and Emma were going to have to act like they still didn't get along. It was going to hurt to continue being rude all the time, especially considering the night the two of them had just had.

After the bed was made, she dressed in a skirt, work shirt, and blazer and went into her bathroom to make herself look like Mayor Mills again. Only, she didn't have time to take thirty minutes on make up, so she didn't look nearly as good as she could have.

By the time she made it downstairs, she found Henry, dressed and in the kitchen, getting out supplies for pancakes and hot cocoa, (of course, with cinnamon). Regina started in on the pancakes and Henry started in on the hot cocoa and the doorbell rang only seconds afterwards.

Henry set the cups down onto the counter. "That's Emma!" he exclaimed, rushing towards the front door.

_Okay, Regina, put your best bitch face on._

Emma stepped into the hallway, rubbing her hands together. "Hey, kid," she greeted Henry with a smile. "Damn, it's cold out…"

"Miss Swan, please watch your language around my son," Regina said coldly, not even looking at Emma, her heart shattering.

"Our son," Emma corrected her, pretending to glare back.

"Whatever," Regina stirred the batter for the pancakes.

"Mom, you promised to be nice. I thought you were changing?" Henry complained.

"I promised no such thing, Henry." She informed him, "I said I'd be cordial. Besides, people don't change over night."

Emma smirked at the irony and sat down at the table. Henry took a seat next to her and Regina poured batter onto a skillet, pretending that the love of her life wasn't sitting right behind her and trying to fight off the blush that wanted to creep up into her cheeks.

While Emma and Henry chatted Regina finished making pancakes, stacking them onto a plate and turning to face Emma and Henry for the first time, setting the plate down. Emma had changed into new clothes, that signature red jacket wrapped around her and even zipped up, for the first time in forever. Regina forced herself not to stare, and Emma had to do the same about Regina. Henry luckily missed this exchange of eye contact and turned heads.

Regina got their hot cocoa ready for them, sprinkling cinnamon on Henry and Emma's cups before sitting down at the table to join them, her eyes focused on her pancakes, which she barely touched. Emma ate, slowly, feeling self conscious for eating in front of Regina, as if she never had before. Everything felt so different now.

"So how was night duty last night, Emma?" Henry wondered.

Emma was caught off guard for a moment, before remembering her alibi.

"Oh! Yeah, it was…it was different." She admitted, making Regina look up, finally, her eyebrows raised.

"Was it fun?" Henry continued to ask questions.

"Actually yes, it was fun," Emma answered. "More fun than I expected." She realized she needed to stop—it felt like she was giving too much away. Regina's grip on her fork was so tight that her knuckles were starting to turn white.

"Ease up a bit, Mom," Henry laughed.

God, did this boy miss anything?!

She relaxed herself and took a deep breath. How did she expect to make it through the day with their big secret if she could barely make it through a meal?!

"I'm just stressed, Henry. It's not everyday we have Emma over, and I don't want to be late for work."

"Well sorry if I'm stressing you out," Emma said, a little more harshly than she meant to. Regina couldn't tell if this time she was acting or being serious. It almost hurt. "I need to get going, too." She stood. "Thanks for breakfast. You want me to take Henry to school?"

Henry looked up at his mother, hopefully.

"Sure." Regina said. "Sure, that would be fine. Behave!" she had to call out, as Henry was already heading out the door towards Emma's car.

Regina walked past Emma, muttering into her ear. "We need to be more careful."

"Definitely. And I didn't mean to be so—"

"I know me either."

Emma nodded her head, blew Regina a small kiss (her back was facing Henry, so he didn't see anything) and walked out the door.

This secrecy thing was going to be tough. Was it really worth it?

Regina closed her eyes and saw on a newspaper, flashed about the front page, "Evil Queen Caught Kissing the Savior; Snow White Seeks Revenge."

Oh yes. It was worth it for now.

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**Tell me what you think? I'll be working on the next chapter now... I'm a little obsessed, but you don't mind, right? xD ~~hayleynymphadora**


	3. Last Christmas, I Gave You My Heart

**And...I give you chapter 3! I really enjoyed writing this chapter!**

**Tell me if you like reading it! :)**

**xo ~hayleynymphadora**

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Chapter 3: Last Christmas, I Gave You My Heart

She just couldn't focus. Emma was too distracted by other things…by Regina, mostly. She had been crushing on the woman for quite a while now, but she didn't want to make the first move—how could she have? If Regina didn't reciprocate the feelings, Emma would've been destroyed. So she had kept everything she felt for Regina—every want for her, every desire to be with her—inside, just waiting to uncover it and show Regina how truly loved she is. Now if only she could convince Regina that all she needs to be happy is she and Henry…

Regina was just all too convinced that other people's opinions mattered. Emma figured it really wasn't Regina's fault—it was how she was raised, being around royalty so much, she supposed. And if Regina hadn't confessed her love for Emma as well, Emma would have cared about other people too—especially if Regina made it her goal to expose Emma for her feelings. But now she had Regina to fight next to her, so why did it matter?

Well, Henry. They still had to tell Henry.

But as long as Henry was okay with all of it (and Emma was almost positive he would be)…

She continued to ponder things and then it dawned on her. What about Snow? And Charming? She couldn't just leave her parents out of this, they were family. And she knew for a fact that they were not going to accept any of it. Not because of her being gay, but because of the person. Sure, Emma had given Regina a second chance (maybe a millionth chance, because she knew that Regina could really change if she wanted to and if she tried hard enough) but no one else besides of course Henry was ready to be that forgiving, and had told Emma as such. This crushed her optimism and ruined her plan. There was no way she could convince Regina to be public about things, especially not with the argument she had. She couldn't in good conscience tell Regina that it didn't matter what anyone else thought, because she and Regina both knew that without Snow White's consent, they wouldn't be truly happy.

She stared down at her fingers, which showed slightly under the sleeves of her red leather jacket. Her legs were crossed in her spinning office chair, and any other day she would have done the immature but fun thing to do when no one was watching and spin in circles out of boredom and thought. But she didn't feel like being immature today. Today wasn't a day for immature things, she decided as she picked at her black nail polish. This was a serious situation—it was about her future; her future with Regina, her future relationship, and the possibility that she might actually have a real family.

Yes, Snow and Charming and Henry, they were her family. But she was thinking about a family to call her own; one that she wasn't born into.

Emma groaned, setting her head down into her hands. She was starting to get a headache. She wasn't used to serious thinking; she was used to decision based on impulse. This thought made her stop and evaluate. Was that all last night with Regina was? Impulse?

_No, you've been hot for her for a long time…last night definitely was NOT impulse._

_But was it for Regina?_

"Good afternoon, Miss Swan,"

_Speak of the Queen and she shall appear…_

Emma directed her attention upwards, spying none other than Regina, a small smile on her face, and a bouquet of white roses with tips of red in her arms. She sat them down on the counter, hiding her amusement at Emma's surprise.

She had spent the morning thinking, and killing herself in the process. She knew she couldn't stay with Emma, no matter how much it hurt to admit. There wasn't a person who would agree with this relationship, which might not matter if the category didn't include Henry, and Snow, and Charming. She couldn't do that to Emma and she couldn't put Henry in that uncomfortable situation.

"Regina," Emma's eyebrows were raised. "Hi," a huge grin spread across her face and she looked around to make sure no one was watching. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you roses," Regina stated the obvious, a sad look of begging on her face and a bit of desperation in her voice. Emma's head immediately questioned Regina's expression. Whatever it was, it was new, and it didn't look promising. "I thought they might make your office look a little more…" she searched for a word.

"Like you?" Emma joked.

"Sophisticated," Regina finally settled on a word, smiling in spite of herself.

"And where, might I ask, did you manage to get roses in the middle of winter?" Emma had to know.

Regina smirked. "A little bit of magic might have helped…"

Emma gave her a disapproving look, although deep down she couldn't help feeling excited that Regina used magic for her. "You told Henry you would stop that—"

"I can take them back…" Regina raised an eyebrow, toying with Emma.

"No!" Emma answered a little too quickly. She corrected herself, "No…I mean…they're beautiful…and you already used magic to get them so destroying them would just be…"

"Of course," Regina's smile still seemed amused but sad, and Emma caught on in a heartbeat.

"What's wrong?" her eyes widened. "Is Henry okay?"

Regina laughed softly. "I have to have an occasion to get you flowers?" she forced her expression to change.

"You have to have an occasion to show up at my office when you very clearly don't want the public to know about—"

"To know about what, Miss Swan?" Regina turned cold because of fear. Emma had to push it because she knew Regina all too well. She knew that Regina had a reason for coming, and it wasn't just because she wanted Emma to have roses. "There's nothing to know."

Emma went silent, looking back down at her fingers again, then towards the roses, pressing her lips together tightly. "What was last night? What exactly did we agree on, because I thought I knew before but now I'm not so sure?"

"Last night was a mistake," Regina lied harshly, hating herself for it. "I shouldn't have let things get this far already, or at all. We aren't meant for each other, Emma."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Emma stood up, furious for being so naïve. Furious that she let Regina lead her on. She knew things were too good to be true. Regina wasn't ever going to change. "So what, these are apology flowers? Apology not accepted!"

"Emma, please let me talk—"

"No! No I won't let you talk, Regina. For the past two years you've gotten the best of me. You always win, and I'm really not sure what made me fall in love with you to begin with because all you've ever done is make my life miserable, try to kill my mother, and apparently you just lead me on to crush my hopes. Is this what makes your life livable? Making other people hate themselves, making yourself feel big? Do you take great pride in this?"

A crisp, hard smack in the face is what got Emma to stop talking. Impulsively, and because she felt that Regina definitely deserved it, Emma smacked the Queen back harder. Regina glared at the ground, wishing she could just curl up into a ball and hide in the corner for doing this to Emma. But she was the Mayor, she was the Queen, and she was professional. "Sophisticated". And she had to do this.

Regina set her jaw and stared back at Emma, in those blue eyes. Those engaging blue eyes. "Don't you understand?" she said between clenched teeth. "Nobody will accept us. No one in your family. Not Snow, not Charming, not Henry. Are you ready to proceed, knowing that?"

"I thought we were keeping things a secret?" Emma's eyes stung with tears that she refused to let go. "You of all people should be able to do that well enough."

"What is THAT supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what that means," Emma practically growled. "My feelings for you are too strong to ignore anymore and now that I know you have feelings for me too, I don't understand why—"

"Because I don't have feelings for you!" Regina lied.

"I can TELL when people are lying, Regina!" Emma reminded her. "A special gift of mine, remember? So don't you dare tell me you don't have feelings for me. Don't push me away because you're afraid!"

"I'm not afraid of anything," Regina yelled, taking Emma gently by the neck but pulling her fiercely into a deep, intoxicating kiss. Emma kissed her back, angrily, but this time Regina had more control. She wasn't vulnerable, she wasn't worried and she was most definitely NOT afraid. She wasn't afraid of anybody, she wasn't afraid of any_thing_ and she wasn't afraid of this relationship. Emma climbed up onto the desk, shoving everything off of it besides the roses, which she set to the side of the desk, and out of her way, pulling Regina in closer so she could feel her heart pounding against her chest as Emma's was hers. Regina ran her hands through Emma's long, curly blonde hair, lovingly—lustfully. Emma sighed, breaking away from Regina's lips and placing a sweet kiss on the corner of her mouth before stopping for a breath, her heart feeling like it might fall out of her chest. Regina felt quite the same way.

Their faces were still pressed against each other and Emma let out a light laugh. "What the hell just happened?" she asked.

Regina had to laugh, too. "I have _no_ idea," she admitted, kissing Emma's cheek gently. "But I would _love_ for it to happen again," she grinned, and Emma could feel the grin against her face.

"So would I," she blushed furiously.

Both of the girls paused to breathe for a moment, before Regina spoke up again. "Do you understand what you're putting yourself through, in able to be with me?" her voice was full of pain.

"You're changing, Regina. I can see it. I can feel it."

"I'm failing at changing, Emma." She seemed exasperated.

Emma shook her head. "If you weren't succeeding, then you wouldn't give a damn what you're putting me through. But you do, so you are. The difference now, is that I'm the one who doesn't give a damn. I'm in love with you, Regina."

Regina never cried in front of anybody. She never cried, period. Except for the Christmas party the night before… and right there, in Emma's office, in front of her. The tears she had been holding back finally broke through her wall of pride.

"I love you, too, Emma Swan."

They shared another warm kiss before Emma hopped off of the desk and landed in Regina's warm embrace.

"And I've decided I don't want to hide it," Emma added. "I could barely last the morning. I don't want to feel like that every day of my life—sneaking around with you. I want to be able to breathe. Be able to live with you. I want to be able to spend Christmas and New Years with you by the fire."

Regina took a deep breath, and swallowed hard.

"Do you understand what you're asking?"

"Of course I do," Emma answered almost as quickly as Regina asked. Regina's voice hardened.

"Are you sure? Because once you tell people there is no going back."

"I'm positive. I'd never want to go back." Emma tried to reassure her.

Regina let out a long sigh before looking back up into Emma's eyes. "Okay. If this is what you want. We'll do it together."

Emma looked at her, confused. "Isn't it what you want?"

"If it will make you happy,"

"Since when do you care about other people's happiness?" Ouch. Emma hadn't meant for that to come out as rude as it had. Regina seemed unaffected.

"Only that of yours and Henry's." she said. "And this affects you more than it will affect me. So if it will make you happy," she repeated herself.

"If it will make _us_ happy," Emma corrected, her arms wrapped around Regina's body.

"Your happiness will make me happy—"

"But you don't want people to know," Emma concluded.

Regina said nothing for a long time, before saying,

"I want you to make the call. It isn't up to me."

"We're in this together," Emma convinced her.

Regina thought about that concept. Together. She wasn't alone anymore. As long as Emma was with her, she could never be alone again. They would face Storybrooke together. Face Snow and Charming and console Henry together. Plural. As a dynamic duo.

"Then we'll get through it together," was Regina's response. Her lips curled into a smile. She couldn't wait for this relationship to continue.


	4. Don't They Know It's Christmas?

**Final chapter of the night! Tell me what you think! xD**

**I don't own ONCE.**

**~~hayleynymphadora**

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Chapter 4: Don't They Know It's Christmas?

After the work day was done, Emma made her way to Regina's house for dinner. The two decided that they would tell Henry while they ate, and explain to Snow and Charming afterwards. If they made it that far.

_Of course we will, _Emma forced herself to be optimistic as she pulled her jacket closer to her. _Henry will love the fact that his two mothers will be under the same roof soon enough. He'll love that we're finally getting along. Or maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself. What if this relationship doesn't turn into anything? _The wind was blowing strong and the snow came down around her like a blizzard as she walked the path leading up to the house. She secretly wondered if the quick change in the strength of the weather had something to do with Regina and her emotions. Maybe there was some magic that Regina just couldn't take control of. Maybe the ability to love and be loved was a concept of pure magic that Regina had yet to discover.

_ But she loved Daniel first,_ Emma reminded herself. _She knows what love is_. _Relationships aren't as new to her as they are to you. This will be your first time in a real relationship—the first time something isn't a one night stand. DON'T screw it up. She's too important. I really love her._

She had barely rapped on the door twice when Henry swung it open hugely, a wide grin spread across his face. "Hey, Emma!"

"Hi there, kid," she smiled back and stepped into the house, thankful for the heat. Since everyone would know tonight, maybe she and Regina could sit by the fire together later on. The thought of being so close to Regina and being warm again made her shiver in anticipation. "Am I too early?" she wondered, shutting the door tightly behind her.

Regina entered Emma's sights, stepping out from the dining room with a big salad bowl in her arm. Her hair was gorgeous—dark and thick and shoulder length; obviously curled, but done well. She wore black dress pants and a blazer—Emma felt underdressed in her leather jacket. She had to remind herself that this was how Regina always dressed.

"You came at a perfect time," Regina smiled at her, warmly. Emma's heart skipped a beat. It was odd to see Regina being nice to her around Henry. Henry quite apparently noticed it too, because he raised an eyebrow skeptically but quickly shrugged it off, just happy to see Emma there for a second time in the same day. It was a miracle in itself, to him.

"Great," Emma sighed. "Can I help with anything?"

"No need, I've got everything ready," Regina announced. Emma followed her to the table and took a seat next to Henry, across from Regina. Emma stomach was swirling with anxiety. What if she was wrong? What if Henry _didn't_ accept this and it made him look at her and Regina weird for the rest of their lives? Was she really ready to commit to telling him? This was a big step for just getting with Regina the night before…

_But you've loved each other forever, whether you want to admit it or not. You belong together. Henry will know that, too. He'll be able to feel how connected we are. He believes in true love—otherwise Operation Cobra would've been a bust all along. Things will be fine._

"You're awfully quiet, Emma," Regina noticed, taking a bite of her salad.

"Processing things," Emma answered quietly, swirling her fork around some pasta but not really picking it up.

"It's not too late to turn back," Regina reminded her. She wasn't worried about Henry wondering what that meant—she was being discreet, right?

Emma shook her head, pushing a lock of long blonde hair behind her ear. It was a very attractive movement and Regina's eyes glistened with passion. "Yes, it is," Emma answered. It took Regina a minute to remember what they were talking about—she was distracted.

"Well, in that case," Regina set her fork down and reached her hand across the table. It took Emma a second to realize that she wanted her to take it. Slowly, she did so. Henry's eyes widened.

"What are you guys doing? I mean I'm happy that you're being nice to each other, but you don't have to over do it just to make me happy…"

Emma laughed, biting her lip (ever so sexily, Regina had to add) and holding back tears. "We're not over doing it to make you happy. I mean, of course, we want you to be happy, but that's not why we're—I mean it is, but it's not—"

Regina had to laugh this time; must Emma make everything so adorably awkward? There was a reason why Regina was Mayor and Emma was Sheriff—Regina was better at public speaking.

"What your Mother is desperately trying to say, Henry, is that…we wanted to know if you would be okay with…well," _great, now I'm the one making this awkward._ "Emma and I are in love," she finally managed to say. "And we wanted to make sure you were okay with it before making things a little more…public."

Henry dropped his fork, dramatically. "In _love_?!"

Emma flinched, slightly, unable to tell if he was disgusted, happily surprised, or just shocked. Regina's squeezed Emma's hand tightly for support; her eyebrows rose in wonder, curious as to what Henry was going to say next.

"You two…are in love?" he repeated himself.

Emma answered this time, "Yeah, kid. I love your Mom and your Mom seems to love me to."

"I do," Regina assured the both of them.

"…Is that okay with you?" Emma asked hesitantly. "I know it wasn't exactly part of Operation Cobra, but…"

Henry sat silently for a minute—a minute too long for Emma's comfort, but she allowed him to figure things out in that imaginative brain of his. His expression didn't seem to give a straight answer—it almost looked concerned.

"So…are you going to start living with us?" he asked Emma.

Emma relaxed a little at the question. If he was asking about sleeping arrangements it meant he was okay with it, right?

Regina laughed at the first question he could come up with. "If she wants to," she smiled. "It'd definitely be easier than her driving over here every night, or I going over to see her…which I doubt will be very acceptable considering the circumstances…"

Emma nodded in agreement. "I doubt that the two of you want to leave your mansion house to come live in a small apartment that I already share with Snow and Charming…but…does this mean you're okay with it?" she had to know a straight answer—the kid was driving her crazy.

Henry stared up at his biological mother in shock. "Of course I'm okay with it—love is love, right? And, I mean, now you'll both be here all the time, and I won't have to worry about the Evil Queen butting heads with the Savior anymore, so that's awesome news."

Regina ignored the fact that she was just called "Evil Queen" again. She had grown used to the title, no matter how much she despised it. All she was ever evil for was to avenge Daniel, and now that she had accepted his death, forgiven Snow (against her better judgment) and fallen in love with Emma, she had no reason to be wicked. Unless people didn't accept her and Emma's love. That wouldn't be handled lightly. Especially if people decided to make a huge scene about it.

The two women smiled happily, tears swelling up in both of their eyes at the happy fact that their son was accepting and loving towards their relationship. Emma should have known she didn't have anything to worry about with Henry—it was Charming and Snow that would be the hardest to convince. They let go of each others' hands.

"Finish eating, Henry," Regina grinned. "I know you're excited—we are too—but after dinner we have to go over to Emma's and tell Snow and Charming…it might take a while, and there might be a fight. I just want to warn you ahead of time. In fact, I might call Red and see if she'll take you for a while…"

"No! I want to come with you!" Henry protested.

Emma and Regina exchanged a worried glance. Regina was right—Emma had never thought about exactly how her parents would react, and she knew it wouldn't be good. There would most definitely be a fight, and she wasn't sure she wanted Henry to be there to experience it.

"No…I think your Mother is right, kid. Maybe you should sit this one out. Things might get…bad." She knew it wasn't exactly the right adjective to use but she settled for it anyways, clenching and unclenching her fists under the table. Why did she waste time being nervous for the easiest part of her night? Right now was when the nerves really started kicking in. Regina was nervous too, though she dared not admit it to anyone, not even herself.

"They should understand, though!" Henry continued to push his luck. "Their whole story is about nothing but true love!"

"And me trying to stop it," Regina added. "Besides, I was technically Snow's step mother, which makes me quite a considerable age older than your mom…"

Emma had never really thought about that. But Regina really wasn't much older than Snow…certainly not old enough to really be her mother…

"But you two are the same age, now!" Henry defended.

"Kid," Emma put her hand on her son's shoulder. "Henry. I'm so glad you feel that way, but you don't have to explain it to us—we know." She reminded him and realization struck him.

"Oh. Right…"

"But I still really don't think you should be there, and now you have two mothers against your want to go, so I think I'll go and call Red…"

"Ugh. Fine. Do everything without me."

Emma stood and stared at Henry incredulously. Do everything without him? When was the last time (besides the night before) that she had actually _done_ anything without him? But she decided to just pick her battles—she wasn't about to argue.

She left the room and called up Red, who happily agreed to watch over Henry for a few hours. She would be over in twenty minutes.

_Super. That gives me enough time to panic…_ Emma bit at her nails—the black nail polish that was their this morning was mostly gone now, from Emma's nervous picking.

"Hey," Regina's voice was gentle and warm as she placed a hand on Emma's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Emma spun around, her eyes wide. "I don't know. Are we taking things too fast?"

Regina shrugged. "Not to me, but if you're uncomfortable we can slow things down…I think it's just nerves talking though."

"All I'm used to is one-night stands," Emma muttered so Henry wouldn't hear her from the dining room.

Regina giggled. "Well this is definitely more than that. So if you're not ready—"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Emma shook her head.

Regina tried to read Emma's expression but Emma had on a perfect poker face. "Are you sure?" she asked for a final time.

Emma lightly smacked Regina's arm. "Stop trying to talk me out of it," she joked, easing up a little bit. "If we start a fight we start a fight."

"And you'd be okay with your parents hating you…because of me?"

"They'll forgive us eventually," Emma was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince Regina.

"…And if they kick you out tonight? On Christmas Eve?"

Emma paused, thinking things over. Snow was expecting her home alone tonight. They were going to wrap up Charming's present together and drink hot cocoa with cinnamon. She shook away the thoughts.

"We've already agreed I'm moving in with you either way, right? I guess I'll just be moving in sooner than we thought…"

Regina placed a comforting hand on the back of Emma's neck, a sharp pulse of electricity shot its way down Emma's spine. "You're so brave," Regina whispered.

"I'm the Savior, isn't that my job?" Emma teased.

Regina placed a soft warm kiss on Emma's lips and Emma accepted it, happily, giving her a kiss back before remembering Henry. He might be okay with things, but she wasn't about to get caught making out with his mother in front of him yet. That really would be taking things too fast. She broke away from Regina and gave her a loving look before walking away, back towards their son, who was clearing off the table.

Red arrived right when she said she would, a big smile on her face.

"Hey Henry, what's up?" she asked.

"A lot," Henry answered truthfully, smiling back. Emma finished putting her coat on, as did Regina, and they grasped hands; their fingers intertwined. Red stared down at their hands, amazed and confused.

"Thank you so much for watching Henry for a little while, Red," Regina smiled warmly at her. "It really means a lot. Emma and I have some people we need to talk to…"

Red nodded, amused. "Okay. Do you wanna talk to me about it first?" she had to ask, winking.

Emma tried to suppress a grin. "Regina and I are—"

"Together, obviously. When did this happen?"

"Last night," Regina admitted. "But we've wanted to get together for a long time now."

"Hot," Red said. Emma shot a worried look towards Henry, who luckily seemed unfazed by the comment.

"Well that's cool that you two found love for each other." Red continued.

Regina looked happily surprised. "You don't still hate me?"

Red shook her head and said sincerely, "Emma said you're changing, and I believe her. Granny does, too."

Regina was grinning wider than Emma ever thought was possible—she looked as though she might explode with joy that Emma and Henry weren't the only ones who had forgiven her. She felt so much less alone, now.

And now that she had Emma, she felt invincible again—something she hadn't felt since the curse was broken.

Telling Snow and Charming might not be so bad after all.

. . .

"You're WHAT?!" Snow yelled, dropping the vase she was holding. She looked appalled. She looked disgusted. Emma looked frightened.

_Second thought, this might be the single worst night of mine and Emma's lives._

"Snow, this isn't some fake love, it's a real—"

"YOU DON'T GET TO TALK!" Snow shrieked, turning back to Emma. "After all she's put us through?! After the HELL she put you through? After she dangled Henry over your head for all that time?!"

"She's changing, Snow. She loves me,"

"Of course she does. This isn't another one of her plans to take over Storybrooke or the kingdom or to avenge her lost love," Charming's voice was dripping with sarcasm that not even Emma could top. "You're so vulnerable, Emma! How do you know she isn't taking advantage of you?"

Emma had to think about that. She let her guard down very easily to Regina—she trusted her, maybe a little earlier than she should have? What if her parents had a point? What if Regina was just using her?

She looked deeply into Regina's chocolate brown eyes and swallowed hard.

"Are you using me, Regina?" she asked softly.

"Emma, you can't let them talk you out of this relationship so easily, don't you trust me? You said it yourself—I'm changing."

"Please just answer me," Emma's voice started to harden.

"No, Emma, I'm not using you. I do love you."

Snow and Charming flinched at the word "love".

"Since when do you love anybody?!" Charming demanded.

"She's telling the truth!" Emma declared. "I'd be able to tell if she wasn't."

"Maybe she's using magic on you," Snow stiffened.

"Enough of the blame game!" Emma said loudly. "Regina has been nothing but kind to me recently and has done nothing but love me. She is a changed person and if you don't believe that then fine, but it's not going to stop me from being with her. I love her, too."

Snow took a step closer to Emma, gently this time. "Do you know what it means to love Regina?" she asked in all seriousness. "You aren't used to relationships, Emma. Maybe you're just mistaking infatuation for love. Maybe you're mistaking fear for love. I don't believe you truly love her."

"Well open your mind and start believing because it's true." Emma gripped Regina's hand tighter and Regina moved in closer to Emma, protectively.

Charming was the next person to speak. "I want you out of here."

"Fine!" Emma dragged Regina to her bedroom with her—Regina's eyes widened but she didn't resist. "Have a Merry damn Christmas," Emma finished before slamming the door, rattling the frame.

Emma was shaking, furiously, and Regina wasn't sure how to make her feel better this time.

"Ugh I need to throw something," Emma warned Regina. Regina let go of her hand and backed away to Emma's closet to get out boxes and start packing her things for her. Emma found a glass on the bedside table and chucked it at the door. It shattered into a thousand tiny pieces and Emma shook violently. Regina decided it was time to intervene.

"Hey," she said softly, taking Emma by the shoulders. Emma refused to look up, a single hot tear falling down her cheek. Regina dried the tear with her thumb, gently. "It's okay, Emma. You were prepared for this. Just give them some time."

"Don't they know it's Christmas?! The season of forgiving? And family! I just GOT a family, for the first time in my life and they're going to throw me out because I'm in love?!"

"It's my fault, Emma, if you're going to blame someone—"

"No! They shouldn't be judging you because of your past. You're not the same person anymore!"

"But they don't believe that," Regina said forcefully. "I can't say I blame them after the things I've done. But things will get better, just wait and see. I promise, okay?"

Emma let a couple more tears fall and Regina kissed them away, tenderly.

"Everything is going to be fine, my love," she promised again.

Emma nodded slowly. "I believe you."

Regina nodded back. "Now, let's get you packed. We can rest with Henry by the fire tonight. Maybe watch a movie together? Hell, maybe I'll even try hot cocoa with cinnamon. Then when he's asleep you can help me wrap his presents and we'll put them under the tree. Sound good?"

"Sounds amazing," Emma's voice was muffled against Regina's shoulder.

And it did. It sounded absolutely amazing. She wanted more than anything in the world to forget the fight she just had with her parents, snuggle up with Regina by the fire, watch her take her first sip of hot cocoa with cinnamon, and play Santa to Henry for the first time in her life. She forced herself to trust in Regina. Relationships were about trust, right? Right. If Regina said that things would be okay, they would be okay. It would just take some time.

Time was something they all had plenty of.


	5. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause

**Hi! So, it has come to my attention that a few reviewers have noticed that in past chapters I've made Regina a little too OOC and a bit immature. Thank you, first of all, for reviewing, because it means a lot, and I've noticed you were right. Regina was a little out of character and seemed a bit immature, but a lot of that I did for a reason. As my co-author told me, the only time we've ever seen Regina in love is with Daniel, so no one really knows if being in love would change her demeanor. Perhaps she was just taken aback by feelings and wasn't sure how to react. **

**It was also mentioned that acting like they still hated each other around Henry didn't make sense. Well…we'll get to that, eventually, but to them it made sense, because they were afraid and they weren't sure if they wanted anybody to know yet, especially not Henry. They were still figuring things out for themselves, and so they decided to act like their usual selves until they knew what the hell it was they were doing. Well, now they know. xD**

**Thank you again for reviewing and please, continue! It helps so very much and I really appreciate it! **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**~~hayleynymphadora**

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Chapter 5: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause

It didn't take long to pack everything Emma wanted to bring with her, and luckily it all fit in the Bug because that was what Emma had _insisted_ they drive to the apartment (to Regina's horror—the Bug wasn't really her style, but if it made Emma happy, she supposed she could deal with it for one night…). When they got back to Regina's (and now, Emma guessed, her) house they found Red and Henry sitting in the living room, going through the story book that Snow had given Henry so long ago. Red seemed very animated in telling a story of her own and Henry was intent on listening.

They noticed the women's arrival, but paid no mind to either one of them besides a half wave as a greeting. They waved back and began carrying what little Emma owned upstairs to Regina's (and now Emma's) bedroom. All of the boxes were stacked in the corner of the room and Emma looked at them with a tired sigh. Regina caught on.

"We don't have to unpack them now," she said. "We can do it later."

"Thank god…" Emma said melodramatically before getting out something to change into. Regina froze, not sure what she was supposed to do. Did she stay in the room while Emma changed? Or should she leave? They hadn't necessarily seen each other yet…she decided she'd let Emma call the shots on this one. (A second time, today. Regina felt like she was loosing her grip on how to be in control. She blamed Emma. She blamed love). If Emma was uncomfortable, she'd ask Regina to leave. Emma was straightforward in that way.

Emma held in her hands a long sleeved shirt and a pair of sweatpants. She tossed them on the bed and started to unbuckle her belt before looking up at Regina, curiously. Regina's heart stopped. Maybe they weren't as intimate as she had thought yet…

"Aren't you going to change, too?" Emma asked.

Regina let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She was so new to all of this, and had to keep reminding herself that Emma was, too. As far as Regina had ever gotten with Daniel was sneaky kissing in the stables. They were in love, but their relationship never had time to grow, but now she was with Emma and neither one of them had any idea how to make a relationship work. They would play it by ear.

"Oh—of course…" she walked over to her dresser to grab a tank top, a sweat shirt, and a pair of pajama bottoms, placing them on the bed next to Emma's clothes.

Emma was already half dressed by the time Regina started undressing, both of them so tempted to stare at the other that it physically hurt. Finally, they both looked up. Regina was in her pajama pants and her bra, Emma in her long sleeved shirt and her underwear. This was new territory. This was special.

Before either woman could finish dressing they walked towards each other, longingly. In seconds there was practically no space between them at all. Their lips millimeters apart.

"Too fast?" Regina asked.

"Hell no," was Emma's hungry response.

"Tell me if you want me to stop," Regina advised.

"If you think that word is going to come out of my mouth you're kidding yourself, Madame Mayor," Emma breathed, pressing her lips to Regina's passionately.

Regina picked Emma up and Emma wrapped her legs tightly around Regina's waist, deepening the kiss—a low growl emitting from her mouth, causing Regina to swoon. Emma buried her face in Regina's very exposed neck, breathing in the strong scent of apples and a dark perfume. It smelled amazing and Emma just wanted more of it.

Their lips found each other again, both women out of breath before they broke apart. "Henry's downstairs," Regina reminded Emma softly, panting.

"Henry will probably always be here," Emma pointed out.

"But usually asleep, if we're going to do this…"

"Well, of course…"

"And Red is here, still, too."

Emma groaned. "Fine," and jumped off of Regina, causing Regina to freeze almost instantly and wish she had never said a word. Regina sighed, finally catching her breath, and slid her tank top on over her head, pulling it down into place. Emma rolled her pants up and smacked Regina in the ass with them, playfully, and Regina jumped with a caught-off-guard laugh of protest. Eventually they were completely dressed and Regina decided she was going to go to the bathroom so she could wash the hairspray out of her hair (from when she tried to keep the curls in,) and wash the make up off of her face for the night. Emma retreated downstairs to find Red and Henry, still animated in a story.

"…and has the wolf attacked since?" Henry asked, his eyes wide in curiosity.

"Only when people deserve it," Red winked, showing off her canine teeth.

"Cool," was Henry's answer.

"Thanks again, Red," Emma rubbed her neck and smiled. "Regina and I really appreciated this…"

"No problem," Red assured her with a grin. "Hey, Henry," Red picked up Henry's story book and handed it to him. "Why don't you take this back upstairs, now?"

"Okay," he shrugged, giving Red a hug. "Goodnight, Red."

"Good night, Henry. See you at Granny's tomorrow!"

"Yep!" Henry was gone up the stairs before Red even looked at Emma again. Once his bedroom door was shut, she spoke.

"Was it bad?" she asked.

Emma nodded. "Oh yeah. They kicked me out and the whole nine yards…"

"Wow. I'm so sorry, Emma. I know they'll come around soon. Your parents love you and besides, they can never stay mad at anybody for long,"

"Yeah, except for Regina."

Red didn't know how to respond, so she stared at her bright red, ripped jeans. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? At least try to cheer up? Kiss Regina under the mistletoe or something happy…"

Emma's face reddened a little and Red grinned. "Goodnight. Tell Regina I said good night, too?"

"Will do. Thanks."

"Anytime!" she called as she headed out the door.

Emma dragged herself to the living room, massaging her temples furiously and plopping down onto the big fluffy couch with an irritated moan. She decided she wanted to just forget her parents tonight. She was living with Regina now. It was Christmas Eve (the first Christmas Eve she was actually spending with Henry,) and she was going to be happy god dammit. She closed her eyes for a few minutes, taking in the moment.

Not long after her eyes fluttered shut, they reopened to see Regina standing in from of her—no makeup, wet hair, oversized sweatshirt and pajama pants on—and she was still the most beautiful thing Emma had ever seen in her life. Sure, it was different seeing Regina so dressed down, (especially considering her usual attire,) but it was nice, too. There were going to be an awful lot of firsts between she and Regina and she definitely hoped that many of them would not be lasts.

"Hey, you," Regina gave a small smile and sat down next to Emma, taking her hand instantly and snuggling up next to her. Emma usually wasn't one for being huggy and close, but with Regina she really didn't seem to mind. In fact, she dared to say, she loved it.

"Hey," was her response, along with a soft peck on the lips. Had Henry left his room any earlier he would have seen it and been scarred for life. Emma refrained from laughing at the thought of Henry's first time seeing his mothers share a kiss. No doubt, it would happen the next day, somehow. The next day was Christmas. It dawned on Emma. She hadn't gotten a single thing for Regina, and what she got for Henry wasn't as much as she had hoped to get him, either. Her mind started churning with ideas for what to get Regina. Maybe if she just kissed her…a lot? Or maybe she could show Regina how much she really wanted her by taking her into the bedroom and—

"It's so weird, seeing you here at night," Henry commented, plopping down next to Regina. Regina pulled him close, anxious for the feeling of togetherness—to be whole—to be a family.

"I'm sorry; do you want me to leave?" Emma asked, only half joking.

"No! Of course not! Don't be ridiculous."

"Okay, Kid. I'll try my best not to be, just for you."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm always this sarcastic," Emma laughed. "I'm fine, Henry, just tired."

Henry looked at the clock hanging on the wall—it was made of mirrors and diamonds. "But it's only ten thirty! You guys can't go to bed yet!"

_What a shame,_ Regina thought sinisterly, a smile spreading across her lips. Emma could only guess what she was thinking, and she had a pretty good clue what it was. She smiled, too. Henry smiled as well, though had no idea what was going on between them.

"That's why we're out here," Emma said. "_Not_ in bed."

"Fair enough," he smiled. "…hot cocoa with cinnamon?" his suggestion sounded a lot more like begging to Emma.

Regina turned her head to Emma. "I don't know, chief, do you think the child needs sugar before bed? He'll _never_ go to sleep, and then Santa Clause will never come."

_Not to mention we won't be able to do a single thing we agreed to only do when Henry is asleep…_ her eyes seemed to say. Emma's whole body shivered with excitement and she cuddled closer to Regina, faking being cold. Regina seemed happy to play along.

"Hmm…well it is a tough call," Emma agreed. Henry's face started to look disappointed and Emma grinned. "I'm just messing with you, Kid," she ruffled his hair. "It is Christmas Eve—special occasion, right? Go ahead and make some."

"Do you guys want some?" he wondered.

_Can I have something a bit stronger?_ Emma was desperate to ask. Instead, she replied,

"Sure, I guess I could take a mug. How about you, Regina?" she coaxed.

"Do I have to have cinnamon in mine?" she asked.

"Come on, Mom, you've never even tried it!" Henry exclaimed.

"Okay, okay. I'll try your odd little concoction," she said just to please the two people she loved the most in the world. Once Henry was in the kitchen, Regina decided to ask, "Where ever did the two of you come up with that idea, anyways?"

"Hot cocoa with cinnamon? I don't know," Emma admitted. "I've always liked it like that. That's how Snow drinks hers, too…" Emma remembered the plans she and Snow had had, before she was kicked out of the apartment for confessing her love for Regina.

Regina noticed Emma's expression change upon the mention of her mother and softened her voice. "Give it time, dear."

"I know. You look beautiful, by the way," she added.

Regina raised an eyebrow, disbelieving, casting a glance down at her sweatshirt. "I do?"

"Mmm hmm. You don't have to dress to impress around me. Remember who you're dating, Madame Mayor. I'm all leather jackets, ripped jeans, and boots."

"And I love that about you," Regina smiled, placing a kiss on Emma's cheek just as Henry was making his way back into the living room, three mugs of hot cocoa with cinnamon balanced in his arms.

"Gross, you two," he complained. "Get a room,"

Regina laughed. "It was just a peck on the cheek!" she defended.

"Save it for the mistletoe," Henry waved her away, handing her the mug. She took it and blew on it, hesitantly.

Emma couldn't take the theatrics. "Just drink it already, Regina. It's just cinnamon, it's not cyanide!"

Regina rolled her eyes and took a sip of it, letting it touch her taste buds before making a face and setting it down. "You two can share mine. I'd prefer regular hot chocolate…"

"Oh come on, you made up your mind before you even attempted it," Emma demanded. "Your opinion is biased,"

"My opinion is that cinnamon and hot chocolate don't mix. I'd much rather drink apple cider."

"You and your apples," Henry joked.

Regina grabbed him by the waist, teasingly, and started tickling him. "What did you just say to me?" she joked, continuing to tickle his sides.

"Mom!" Henry laughed, doubling over. "Mom, stop!"

Regina giggled. "What did you say?" she teased again, pulling him in for a hug and kissing at his cheek. "Apples happen to be very good for you and they taste amazing," she finally set him back down on the floor. "Don't reject apples," she smiled.

"Never again, my Queen," he said, crossing his legs. "So what are we going to do tonight?"

The fire crackled in the fireplace and things went silent as each person pondered. Emma yawned, breaking the silence.

"I think maybe we should drink our drinks and call it a night," Regina laughed. "It's been a long day, and it'll be longer tomorrow. Besides, if you stay up too long, Santa Clause will miss our house."

"Do you honestly think I still believe in Santa Clause, Mom?" Henry challenged.

"He's much more believable than a lot of things you've made me believe in," Emma pointed out.

"But THAT was all true!" Henry said.

"Exactly," Emma winked. "Are you done with that yet?"

Henry shook his head quickly.

"Don't you dare lie to me," Emma taunted.

Henry slowly nodded his head.

"That's better. Now, give me and your mother a hug and get into bed. We'll be up in a minute."

"Okay," he sighed heavily, setting his cup down on the table in front of him and getting up to hug Emma. "Good night, I love you," he hugged Regina next.

"I love you too, Henry," Regina said.

"Love you, Henry," Emma said. Henry made his way upstairs and Emma laid her head back against Regina's arm, exhausted.

"Don't get too comfortable, we still have presents to wrap," Regina reminded her.

"Ugh."

Regina laughed. "You don't have to, I can do it myself like I always have."

"No, no, I'll do it. It'll make me feel like I contributed _something_. I didn't even get you anything…" she stood and took the mugs out to the kitchen.

"I don't _need_ anything," Regina tried to convince her. "I have you."

"How the hell did _you_ manage to earn the title of Evil Queen?" Emma begged to know. Regina let out a cackle-like laugh that almost convinced Emma on the spot, before saying,

"That, my dear, is a very long story that you already know most of. Besides, the past is the past, right? And you are _you. _I wasn't in love with everybody else."

"God I hope not," Emma made her way up stairs to tuck Henry in, Regina close behind her.

. . .

Wrapping presents was a much longer process than Emma had anticipated, and by the time they were done and all placed under the tree (Henry was a spoiled child, she decided. Lucky his mothers loved him so much) it was two in the morning. The mistletoe everyone kept referring to was on the mantle of the fireplace, dangling and waiting for people to become its next victim.

Regina stood under the mantle, not for that reason, but to dust off the top and to put out the stockings—Henry's stuffed to the brim with chocolate and items she knew he would love. Emma snuck up behind her and took her by the waist, pulling her into a sweet and innocent kiss which turned into a deep one (when did they not, between those two?). They broke apart and went in for a few more sweet kisses and before Regina could ask what she did to deserve that, Emma pointed up, "Mistletoe," she smiled, knowing the move was cliché and cheesy.

It reminded Regina of the first dream she had had of Emma. It seemed like so long ago that she had it, when really it had only been a couple of nights. Amazing, how much had changed since then.

. . .

Henry checked his alarm clock—it read two in the morning. Slowly, he crept out of his bedroom and halfway down the stairs, just to see if they had put out the presents yet. Yes! They had! And there were a lot this year!

But something else caught his attention. His Mom stood under the fireplace, hanging stockings when Emma snuck up behind her, catching her off guard and pulling her into a kiss. Though Henry had teased them for it earlier, he was actually really happy that both of his moms were in love. He was happy that his Mom had finally found someone to help keep her anger at bay and change into someone truly good—something he knew she wanted to do, deep down, for she was never ALWAYS evil. And he was happy that Emma wasn't alone anymore, like she was when he first found her at her apartment, blowing out the birthday candle on the cupcake she bought for herself. He knew his story book had the happy ending, and he knew that Emma was the one who would bring it. He was so happy that he had been right.

* * *

**Review for me! :D xo**


	6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

**Hey! Thanks so much to all of my amazing readers! After this there will only be one more chapter in this story, but don't worry, i'm definitely NOT done writing SwanQueen-i've fallen in love.**

**Therefore, enjoy reading! :)**

**I don't own ONCE,**

**~~~hayleynymphadora**

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Chapter 6: Have Yourself A Merry little Christmas

Henry woke them very early the next morning. Emma was excited, to spend her first Christmas with Henry, but exhausted and irritated that it was six a.m and she had barely slept at all. In what universe was this even remotely okay? Waking up early, even in fairytale world, was a sin in Emma's book. She cuddled closer to Regina, begging for more sleep. Regina smiled unevenly, looking tired but happy that Emma was still with her-happy that things had worked so far, except for the thing with Snow and Charming. She dreaded Emma having to face them today at Granny's. She even debated canceling going to the party and making some other plans to take Henry ice skating or something. As long as Emma wouldn't have to fight with her family, on Christmas of all days.

"Good morning," Emma managed to gather the energy to whisper into Regina's ear, trying to ignore Henry's pestering for them to get out of bed. "Do you let him do this every year?" she begged to know.

"It's Christmas, Emma. Only on Christmas." Regina said back, placing a good morning kiss on Emma's shoulder, then quickly found her lips and kissed her there as well. Henry crinkled his nose.

Emma laughed half-heartedly. "Kid, if you don't like it when your mom kisses me, then get out of our bedroom because I _do _happen to like it."

Regina smiled. Emma had said "our" bedroom. As in togetherness. And she liked good morning kisses. Noted. Regina sat up and stretched, meanwhile Emma covered her head with a pillow, holding in the exhausted emotions she was feeling.

She was pissed at her parents, she was tired from staying up last night, thinking about how pissed she really was, and she was trying to figure out how she got to the point in her life where she was. Regina noticed that Emma was more than just tired, and felt bad that she was getting her up so early, but you really couldn't try to console Henry about these things. He was excited to spend Christmas with both of his moms for once, and he really wanted to see what he got.

So, Regina lay back down next to Emma, wrapped her arms around the woman, and asked Henry to leave for a moment so they could talk. Henry was hesitant, but agreed after Regina asked him to make hot cocoa with cinnamon for him and Emma.

"Hey," Regina said softly. "I'm sorry. I know you don't want to get up, and I know you're starting to put that wall up again because you're scared and angry."

"I do _not_ have a wall! Why do you and Snow insist that I shut people out?"

"Because you do," Regina remained calm, knowing that snapping back wasn't going to fix anything, no matter what her instincts told her. "And you're starting to again, Emma please don't shut me out. We can fix this."

"How?!" Emma sat up, a distressed look on her face. "How are we going to fix this? Can you fix this? I _just_ got my parents BACK Regina and now look at us! All my life I've been waiting for them to come into my life for twenty eight years and now here they are, and here I am, and they can't even stand to look at me."

Regina stared at the comforter on top of them, running her hands along it as she listened to Emma's grievances. She didn't know what to do. "And it's all my fault, and I don't know how to even begin making it up to you, Emma. I was young and bloodthirsty. I had lost the love of my life and Snow White needed to be punished. It was the only way I knew how to make things okay, because I was hurt so badly and because I was betrayed. But don't turn into me. Don't take evil ways out; because it doesn't fix anything, I know that now. If anything it just creates a lifetime of problems. Well…twenty eight years worth of problems. If I hadn't made that curse you and Snow and Charming wouldn't have been separated, and none of this would have happened. But we wouldn't be together either, so I think that maybe not every part of the curse was bad. It did give us Henry. Our son, who's waiting downstairs to share a first Christmas with his mothers..."

Emma listened but she couldn't feel any better. Lord was she trying. She and Snow and Charming and Henry were just starting to work as an actual family. For the first time they were together, and they were figuring out a system that wasn't awkward or full of bitterness because of past experiences.

"Let go of the past, Emma and start to think of the future or you'll never get through any of this."

Emma nodded. "Okay,"

"You're just saying that so I leave you alone," Regina noted.

"Yes I am. You're smarter than I thought you were, Madame Mayor," Emma dragged herself out of bed and walked down the stairs to find Henry by the tree. Regina followed closely behind with a sigh. It was going to be a long day.

. . .

Emma leaned against the back of the couch, her legs curled up into a ball in front of her. Regina sat next to her, but gave her some space. Their hands were barely centimeters away from touching and Emma sighed, extending her arm so that her fingers could touch Regina's thigh. Regina took her hand and gave a small smile. At least Emma had energy enough to do this.

Henry was occupied, obsessing over his new sketch book, billions of art supplies, story books, walkie talkies, and telescope, not to mention his new up-to-date laptop.

Regina sighed, realizing that if she was going to give Emma the gift she had been debating giving her all morning, she would have to put everything Henry got for Christmas back up in the closet for storage until later. Regina had seen Emma's pain recently, and decided it wasn't worth it to see her so hurt.

Yes, Emma was finally experiencing firsts with Henry, and that was great, but she was Henry's mother. She wanted to experience every first. She regretted missing every first, every step, the whole first twelve years. Regina's plan would solve the Snow and Charming problem, too. So, with Emma's permission, she was going to make her wishes come true.

"Henry," Regina started slowly. "I need to go talk to your mother for a minute."

"…just talk? What can't you say in front of me?" he wondered, looking up from his new book.

"It doesn't have to do with you," Regina lied. "It's nothing."

"If it's nothing why can't you say it in front of the kid?" Emma questioned.

_Great. She's going to take his side about this?!_

She shot Emma a look and Emma nodded in understanding, stretching her legs out and standing. "We'll be right back, Henry," she said.

Henry shrugged. "Okay…"

Regina lead Emma to the bedroom and her eyebrows rose. "Hey, I know it's Christmas, but kid isn't asleep yet…" her voice sounded suggestive, anxious, cautious, and giddy all at once. Regina just laughed.

"You and I both wish that's what I'm about to do," she closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. "Okay, so I know what I want to get you for Christmas." She started.

Emma's eyebrows rose higher as she glanced around the room, her gaze pausing at the bed with a smirk. This made Regina blush.

"Well, that too. But, I know you deserved something even more special than just that."

"More special than sex?" Emma questioned. "Damn, you _do_ love me,"

Regina smiled. "That's right, I do. Which is why I can't watch you go through this every day."

Emma rolled her eyes, remembering their earlier conversation. "Oh my god, Regina, please don't start again. I'm just having one of those days, I'll get over it."

"No, you won't. Not when you see Henry every single day and constantly regret all of the firsts you missed with him instead of focusing on the ones that are right in front of you, and not when Snow and Charming won't even talk to you and it's all my fault. So I've thought of something that can make all of that go away and make your life amazing and pure and fun."

Emma listened carefully. "You're going to poison me and then have sex with me?"

"What? No…" Regina laughed. "I guess it's hard to guess if you don't open your mind a little bit. Someone is very excited today…"

This time it was Emma's turn to blush. "What do you want to give me, Regina?"

"A better life."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

Regina sat down on the bed and had Emma sit down next to her. "I cast a curse on this town so no one could ever leave and everyone forgot who they were. It was an alternate reality that pulled them out of fairytale world. I want to make an alternate reality again, only this time, it won't be a curse."

Emma seemed a little dazed and confused. "Go on…?"

"With your permission, I could take back time on Henry's life, so it's like he's a newborn again. You and I can be together—it'll be like you never gave him up, Emma, it'll be like you and I hired a donor and Henry is ours—and then I can make it so that everyone in Storybrooke is okay with our relationship. We can start all over again. Everything else will be the same. Isn't it genius?"

Emma took time to process the information before saying, "Okay. That sound amazing, Regina, if not extremely complex, and I would love that, I truly would. It's a very sweet thought—"

"What's the catch then?" Regina recognized the hesitation in her lover's voice.

"This isn't entirely our decision to make. It takes Henry's entire life back to the starting point—back to him being a newborn! All of his memories will be gone—"

"I won't let that happen. I'll secure his memories before then and keep them somewhere safe. Then, when he's older, I'll get them out and he can look at them, if he wants to."

"Would you and I keep our memories? Of everything?"

"Of course, if that's what you want to happen."

"How specific can this spell be?"

"I can try my best," Regina promised. "The more specific the more power it will take and the more tired it'll make me."

"Would everyone still hate you? I don't like it when they hate you."

Regina shook her head. "I can't erase the entire town's memories about me again, in case the spell wears off it'll just make things worse."

"The spell could wear off? What would that do to Henry?"

"Nothing. The spell would remain on him. Once his age has been tampered with he'll continue to grow at that rate. If he's five and the spell wears off, he'll still be five and growing, it's just that everyone else will realize what I did."

There's a small silence before Emma continued, her mind reeling with questions. Regina was eager to answer them all.

"You can sway their minds completely into thinking that what we have is okay?"

Regina winced. "Maybe not, but I can make them more comfortable with the idea and we can work together on making them warm up to it…"

Emma nodded slowly. "I guess that would be okay. But I still think Henry needs to be involved in the decision making. It's his life too, Regina."

Regina sighed. She really wasn't planning on involving Henry—she was too afraid he'd say no and she knew that Emma was secretly praying for a yes. She could see how much Emma wanted this. It was going to make her so happy. It was going to be the best Christmas ever.

"There's another thing," Regina added. "It will freeze everybody else's growth rate again, until Henry reaches the same age he is right now. Until this day comes back."

Emma grinned. "I get to be young and sexy for an extra twelve years?"

Regina grinned back. "I know, it is quite tempting, isn't it?"

Emma moved in closer to Regina. "You'd really spend all of this time and energy and work on me? That's twelve years of commitment, Regina. That's twelve years of re-raising our son."

"Right. _Our_ son. We should raise him together. We should share all of his firsts, and we didn't. So what do you say, Emma? Be a mother with me?"

Emma's lips formed a wide smile, in spite of herself. "We're still asking Henry."

"Right, okay, we can ask Henry," Regina agreed.

Emma pressed her lips against Regina's warmly, hungrily, passionately. "Right after we do this," she muttered, laying Regina down on her back and kissing her neck. Regina giggled, almost a little too loudly.

"Emma," she warned, swooning at the same time.

"Say my name like that again," Emma commanded. Regina was shocked—she was usually the one in control of things. She obliged with a smile.

"Emma,"

"Yes, my Queen?" she asked, knowing it would pull Regina's energy away from her. Regina relaxed and didn't speak for a moment, accepting Emma's kisses. Emma placed her hands at the back of Regina's neck, tilting her head up to face her and moving back to her mouth, muffling any words Regina wanted to say. There was a knock at the door (thank god it was locked) and Henry called in,

"Are you two done talking yet?!" it sounded like a whine. He could _not_ be done messing around with his art supplies yet, could he? Regina flipped Emma around so that she was on top, straddling the woman so she couldn't get up, before replying, "Give us a few more minutes, Henry, this is important."

"Fine," and they heard him running back down the stairs. Regina teased Emma's collarbone, kissing down her chest and to her stomach before kissing a trail back up to her lips. "We need to get back down there before this turns into something huge." Regina decided, placing a final kiss on Emma's lips before un-straddling her and fixing her shirt, which Emma had very happily tried to discard. Emma sat up in the bed, panting and disappointed that they couldn't continue. Why the hell didn't Henry sleep more often?!

"So we're going to ask Henry," Emma said after catching her breath.

Regina breathed steadily. "We're going to ask Henry," she agreed.

* * *

**I know, interesting twist but it's a really good plot for a second story, so i'm sticking to it. I hope you'll stay with me because i'm really excited! So I'm basically treating this as a prologue story, with a final chapter to go. Tell me what you think?**

**xo ~hayleynymphadora**


	7. My Grown Up Christmas List

**You don't know how much your reviews and the fact that you're reading this means to me, thank you so much!**

**So, don't hate me, but this is the final chapter in this fic. But, don't get mad just yet, because i'm considering this a prologue fic to a new one i'll be starting called "Our Happy Ending", which will continue this story on.**

**So, i hope you enjoy that, once I start it, and if you liked this you'll probably like that. xD considering they're the exact same story line.**

**Enjoy the chapter, even though it's short and final.**

**xo~hayleynymphadora**

* * *

Chapter 7: My Grown Up Christmas List

Henry stared at his mothers, blankly, trying to process what he was being told.

"You want to make me a newborn again?!" he asked incredulously. "Are you insane?"

Emma was already starting to regret this. It felt selfish of her to ask Henry to uproot his entire life and re-live it. He was right to ask about her sanity. What the hell was she doing?

"It's so that Emma and I can raise you together, Henry." Regina tried to explain.

"No, the kid's right," Emma cut her off. "This affects him too much. I can't go through with it-especially if he isn't willing."

Regina turned her attention slowly to Emma; an eyebrow rose in clear concern.  
"Emma, I thought you wanted this. You said this sounded amazing."

"And I do and it does, but not like this. I had a chance, Regina. I had a chance to raise him and I gave it up, and I don't regret it because an amazing woman raised him and did a much better job than I ever could have done on my own. Things just didn't work out like that. Maybe realities weren't meant to be altered." Emma started babbling.

"Hey," Regina said softy. "Maybe you weren't meant to raise him by yourself, but we were meant to raise him together, from the very start. Meant to share his first moments with him together."

Emma shook her head. "Not when this impacts Henry so much, it doesn't feel right to—"

"I'll do it, Emma," Henry spoke up from his position on the couch in between the two women.

Emma's eyes widened. "No. No, I'm not going to let you do this so your mother and I can be happy. This isn't fair to you, Henry."

"I want to do it, Emma!" he insisted, glancing up at her pleadingly. "Come on, it'll be cool! I get to live an extra 12 years and I get to be raised by you and Mom and you get to be in love. It's the happy ending we've all been waiting for." He came to the realization as he spoke the words aloud.

Emma reached her hand out and Henry took it. Her eyes were swimming with confusion, wide and scared but also excited. Regina's eyes found hers, unblinking.

"Henry, do you really think another curse is the answer to the happy ending?!" Emma had to know. At this point she didn't know what to think, or decide.

"It's not a curse, it's a spell," Regina cut in. Emma shot her a look and Regina got defensive. "I'm doing this for you, Emma. I can see how badly you want it so why are you hesitating so much?"

"I don't know," was Emma's response.

"It's that damn wall of yours, Emma, just don't push this away. Please, let me into your life already. Let this happen. Let me make your wish come true since I've ruined so much of your life."

Emma's heart skipped and her voice softened as she loosened her grip on Henry's hand and focused on Regina's face. Her expression screamed desperation.

"Is this really for me or is it so you can find some sense of closure?" she asked.

Regina looked and felt like she had just gotten in smacked by Emma, or stabbed in the gut, or shot in the heart.

"Emma," Henry sounded worried.

"Henry, go to your room for a minute, let your mother and I talk," Regina instructed, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Mom—"

"Do as you're told," her voice broke and Henry stood and hurried up to his room, shutting the door tightly behind him.

"How dare you?" Regina said once their son was gone. "I'm changing, Emma, I've changed so much already. This isn't about me, it's about _us_, and it's about what you want." Why did she have to make it so difficult?

"It's about changing our lives entirely; it's about rushed commitment, Regina. We've been together for a few days—I _just_ came out to my parents last night! It's too fast—"

Regina stood and neared the terrified blonde woman standing in front of her. "Emma, how long have you known me?"

This question caught Emma off guard. "2 years," she answered.

"And how long have you dreamed of being with me?" she tried to stay calm but her heart was fluttering.

Emma sighed. "Close to 2 years."

"And whether I want to admit it or not, I have fantasized about being with you—loving you—since the moment you first stood on my doorstep to bring Henry home to me." Regina admitted. "And after everything you and I have been through together this is not going too fast."

"No," Emma relaxed a bit. "You're right, it's not."

"So what's the problem?" then it dawned on her. "You're terrified of commitment. It's that wall. You're afraid to let me in. Don't be afraid of this—of what we have, Emma, damn it, don't give up on me. I love you, and no matter how independent Storybrooke thinks I am, I need you." She finished in mostly one breath and when she was done talking she didn't hesitate to pull Emma into a hungry, steamy kiss.

Emma pulled away. "You love me?"

"This isn't some one night stand, Emma. I love you." She felt so vulnerable and exposed and she hated herself for it with every fiber in her being. She was letting her guard down to Emma so why couldn't she do the same?!

Regina placed another kiss on Emma's lips, sweet and strong and demanding. "Please, Emma just have a little faith," she begged, her hands gripping Emma's waist tightly.

Their foreheads touched and Emma closed her eyes in contemplation. "Okay," she finally whispered. "Let's have a baby, Regina."

Regina let out a relieved breath of laughter and Emma kissed her nose. "Raise our son with me," Regina said.

"I can't wait," Emma promised.

"You're so hormonal," Regina pointed out with a laugh. "And indecisive."

"Mmmm," Emma breathed against Regina's parted lips. "But I'm sure about this."

Regina lightly bit on Emma's bottom lip and a swoon escaped Emma's throat. "Let's go tell Henry," Regina's voice contained so much excitement that Emma was afraid something might be wrong, but she ignored the snap judgment, jumping when she heard her son say.

"You don't have to tell me anything," as he bounded down the stairs. "I saw it all."

Emma's face reddened. "Kid, you probably shouldn't have seen—"

"I'm about to be a newborn again, so I don't really think it matters," he pointed out matter-of-factly.

"You aren't grossed out by us?" Regina had to ask. "This isn't the ending in your story book,"

"There _is_ no ending in the book—you guys are about to write it." Henry sounded exasperated. "How many times do I have to say that?!"

Neither woman answered—what was there to say to that?

Regina kept an arm around Emma's waist and gave a smile. Emma smiled back and Regina said,

"It's not long till New Years, do you want to wait until then?" it was stated like a very open question. Henry immediately shook his head.

"No way. The idea's already in my mind and I'll think about it all week."

Emma thought about it.

"The kid's right. Besides, it's my Christmas present, right?"

Regina eyed Emma and grinned. Why did Emma always make her smile?!

"Right," she answered.

This was definitely going to be interesting.

_Emma never said she loved me back._

_ Give it time, Regina, give her time._

. . .

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?!" Emma asked tentatively.

Regina was standing over the dining room table; her eyes shut, and power flowing through her fingertips. She opened one eye and stared Emma down, hard.

"You're going to doubt her _now_?!" Henry demanded.

"I don't doubt her, I'm just nervous—"

"You think I'm not?! Merry freaking Christmas, Emma. What do you plan on getting me?"

Their eyes met and Emma winked. Regina flushed, practically loosing concentration and Henry luckily missed the exchange. Or, at least, seemingly missed it.

"Regina, focus!" Emma panicked.

"I'm trying," Regina responded coolly.

Moments later, Emma was picking at her nail polish. Regina seemed to be running out of energy—focused like hell and determined to get the spell perfect.

"Alright!" she seemed triumphant. "I've got it. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Henry and Emma were in unison.

"Okay. 3…2…" she glanced at Emma and said through a smile, "1…"

And then the world went black.

. . .

Emma's head was throbbing and she knew that if she didn't open her eyes, the pressure was going to make her head explode. Exaggeration? Maybe, but she didn't care. Her eyes fluttered open and she quickly recognized that she was laying in Regina's—their—bed. It took her a moment to remember everything—the Christmas wish, the spell, the new life.

After sitting up and rubbing her eyes she got out of bed. She wasn't dressed the way she was before—she was in an old t shirt and sweat pants and her hair was knotted and messy. Her uterus ached like she had just given birth all over again and, lifting her shirt, she found her stretch marks looking fresh and gross. She had always hated them, and she was positive that Regina would definitely not find them sexy.

She walked down the hallway and found Henry's bedroom. She pushed the door open and found Regina, bouncing a fussy baby Henry in her arms; rocking him—trying to quiet him down,

"Shh, baby boy, you'll wake your mother," there was a tone of laughter in her voice.

"Too late," Emma smiled from the doorway.

"Emma!" Regina's face lit up. "How are you? Are you feeling okay?"

"Sore," Emma admitted with a cringe, "Dazed, but alive."

"You should rest. You must feel like you only just had Henry…"

"You're telling me? You couldn't have skipped over that part with that fancy spell of yours?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm not as powerful as you think I am. Now, either come and hold your son or get your ass in bed so you can sleep."

Emma chose the former with tears brimming in her eyes, and Regina held Emma close to her as she did so.

"Merry Christmas, Emma." She whispered.

"I love you," Emma said back.

Regina's heart leaped. "I love you, too."

"You made my wish come true."

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**Reviews are encouraged! xD xo~hayleynymphadora**


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